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Raising the Bar for DotNetNuke Design

It has been almost one month since we have announced accepting submissions for the second official DotNetNuke Skinning Contest. Thanks to all who took the time to write us with feedback and motivation to keep this event moving forward. I didn’t get a chance to write about what motivation we have for the contest the past few weeks after the launch since my schedule and time didn’t permit. I wanted to just express my thoughts here about the contest and hope you will join me in this event.

Why another skin contest, you might ask. Well, the answer is simple. The skin contest is for you, all of the active community members.

Almost all of DotNetNuke enthusiasts here who have been working with the framework for living have been blessed by a great group of engineering team around the world. These people came together and spent their time tirelessly working on DNN to make it better every day. These are the unsung heroes. But the amount of engineers outweighs the amount of creative talents. Therefore great work that can be recognized at first impression for platform newcomers is still quite modest compared to other CMS platforms.

We also know for the fact that DNN provides great features for web designers to create beautiful and amazing web site. But for people who are still researching for the right framework to use don’t get that impression right away. It’s not because they are new to the platform and don’t know much about it. It is because the great work that many have done isn’t often being featured in front of that many people. Most notable place to see these types of work in the community is the DotNetNuke showcase section on this web site. I, and a talented DNN developer Ian Robinson, also and great friend of mine, have created a project to showcase creative work in DNN called dnnGalelry. But these aren’t enough.

DotNetNuke hits one of its greatest milestones last year when the team released version 5. It has brought to the table many exciting changes from administration, to module development, to skinning. With those exciting changes, how can we show the world that the project has gotten better? How can we ensure it will take another big hit in 2010 and gain more recognition by others around the world, not just the regulars in this official DNN forum? These types of questions need to be addressed. Not in one day or one individual, but by the joined effort of many community members.

Many of the core team members have great visions on helping DNN grow, but YOU as a community member can also make a difference. Let’s start small. Join us by helping to spread the word about the Skinning Contest this year. This is one of the baby steps we can take to spread the word about the framework.

Why? Because we would like to raise the bar to the next level in designing web sites using DotNetNuke. There are many talented individuals around the world who have taken advantages of the platform to build exciting and amazing web sites. But they are not actively involved in the community. We would like to see them sharing their work so other can learn from.

Why? Because the submission we receive will prove to the world that DNN can deliver what web designers need to accomplish what their creativity allows. There aren’t restrictions around the platform to prevent web designers from building modern or creative web sites. And more importantly, these submissions will be available for free download for all DotNetNuke community members who like to learn about the skinning engine.

Why? Because whoever wins the contest will get publicity throughout the world with their names and great work listed in front of millions who are using DNN. It creates opportunities to get more projects and grow your business.

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